Lawyer of Mike Goodson says NY Jets running back is no Anthony Weiner

Mike Goodson's lawyer says, 'We’ve had a congressman who took pictures of himself and now he’s running for mayor. The only thing that Mike is running for, is for touchdowns.' (Seth Wenig/AP)

Mike Goodson may have a checkered past, but at least he's not a Weiner. Anthony Weiner, that is.

The Jets' running back, who was arrested in the early morning of May 17 on weapons and drug charges, was reportedly sued for paternity and child support by three women in 2010 and 2011, has been sued for not paying a jewelry bill, and sued for unpaid rent, according to ESPNNewYork.com. Goodson's lawyer, Tony Fusco, Jr., did not dispute those claims.

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"Mike is not denying that," Fusco told the Daily News, then added, "I don't see the relevance of that.

"We've had a President who had an affair in the White House. We've had a congressman who took pictures of himself and now he's running for mayor. The only thing that Mike is running for, is for touchdowns," the attorney said. "He's not running for President or Congress. He's playing football, he wants to run, and run for his team."

Fusco said that since those incidents were non-criminal, they shouldn't be part of the discussion surrounding Goodson's recent actions, when he was the passenger in a stopped SUV on Interstate-80 in Denville, N.J., with a loaded weapon in the car, according to New Jersey State Police.

Regarding the once-unpaid jewelry bill, reportedly totaling $56,465, Fusco said, "He paid the bill. He's a young kid. He's got all this money and he couldn't handle it for a while. He didn't run away. He didn't steal."

Goodson, 26, could face up to 10 years in prison if he were convicted on all counts, but his lawyer says he is confident that he will be able to refute the gun charges. If the gun isn't Goodson's, he would be left with just two minor marijuana charges.

"He absolutely denies the gun charge," Fusco said.

Though his former legal issues won't affect his standing during his current case, they do raise questions about whether the Jets had any concerns of Goodson's character before inking him to a three-year, $6.9 million contract. The Jets, via a team spokesman, would not comment on Goodson's past but said they research any players' background before signing him.

Goodson expects to return to practice on Tuesday, after not participating in OTAs last week. Fusco has said the team and league prevented Goodson from practicing; however, because the practices are optional, permission isn't required.